Question: Does the butterfly rose attract butterflies?
Answer: A few may flutter by and take a sip, but the butterfly rose (Rosa ‘Mutabalis’) gets its name from the resemblance of its single-flowered blooms to a flock of multi-colored butterflies resting on its branches.
The petals of the butterfly rose darken with age instead of fading. However, they don’t truly just darken, but could be said to actually change colors. (Mutabalis means changeable, mutable or inconstant.) The buds are apricot and cerise but open to a peachy primrose yellow before changing to pink and then darkening to a deep rose. The colors seem in constant flux and can be difficult to describe. However, all the colors look good together, and planting a butterfly rose can be like having several roses instead of just one.
Butterfly rose is also an easy rose to grow. It is sometimes listed as Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabalis.’

Q: How long can you keep hot dogs? How long can they be kept out of the refrigerator?
A: Packaged hot dogs can be stored in the refrigerator two weeks before opening. After opening a package of hot dogs you can keep them for a week in the refrigerator (40 degrees F. or less). These meats can also be frozen for one to two months for best quality.
The same general food safety guidelines apply to hot dogs as to all perishable products: Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. When you leave the grocery store with hot dogs, head straight home and refrigerate or freeze them immediately. Never leave hot dogs at room temperature for more than two hours (and no more than one hour if it’s 90 degrees F. or hotter).
Although hot dogs are fully cooked, those at increased risk of foodborne illness should reheat hot dogs and luncheon meat until steaming hot before eating, due to the threat of listeriosis.

Q: Are Lenten roses perennials? Someone said they were not because they are evergreen.
A: Lenten roses (Helleborus x hybridus) are perennials. Some perennials lose all their leaves in winter (herbaceous perennials) and some keep their leaves in winter (evergreen perennials). Lenten rose is an evergreen perennial. A few other evergreen perennials are heuchera, rohdea, cast iron plant, candytuft, Algerian iris and Adam’s needle yucca. A few herbaceous perennials are baptisia, hosta, canna, bletilla orchid and amsonia. The line between herbaceous and evergreen is not always a clear one. For example, some daylily varieties are evergreen while others are herbaceous.

If you have questions about services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, write Arty Schronce (arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov) or visit the department’s website at www.agr.georgia.gov.